Russia sees US hypocrisy on Iran nuclear programme
Date: 28-Mar-03
Country: RUSSIA
Author: Oliver Bullough
Russia's technology sales and construction of a power station at Bushehr in southwest Iran have long irritated the United States, which accuses Tehran of trying to acquire nuclear weapons. President George W. Bush places Iran in an "axis of evil" alongside Iraq and North Korea.
"We also have complaints against the United States," Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev told reporters. "It is always criticising us, but its close economic partners supply Iran with sensitive technology."
He was referring to media reports that an Iranian gas centrifuge, a sophisticated apparatus able to enrich uranium for both power stations and weapons, was made by Western companies.
A delegation from the U.N. nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), last month inspected the gas centrifuge, and Rumyantsev said Iran's cooperation with the IAEA showed it was not secretly developing nuclear weapons.
"Iran is now within the framework of IAEA laws," he said.
Washington says Iran, the world's fourth largest oil producer, needs no nuclear power and that the programme is a front for producing weapons.
U.S. legislation forbids funding for Russia's cash-strapped space programme while it cooperates with Iran.
Rumyantsev was confident that Russian criticism of the U.S.-led military campaign in Iraq would have no effect on the close relations with Washington forged after the September 11, 2001 attacks on U.S. landmarks.
"This does not touch the basic trend of our cooperation," he said.
Rumyantsev was presenting a summary of his ministry's 2002 results, which showed that Russia was pressing ahead with construction of nuclear power stations in China, India and Iran. Its exports hit $2.62 billion in 2002.
"This year we plan to raise our exports to $3 billion," he said, specifying other work Moscow hoped to complete in Iran.
"Russia is ready to conduct technical and economic analysis on building a second reactor at Bushehr...to work with Iran on security issues, and to discuss the use of nuclear technology in medicine and agriculture," he said.